Simulation of TOPCoRE Solar Cells: Impact of Boron Doping Parameters of P+ Layer Localized Under Front Side Metal Contacts on Cell Performance

Abstract This work elaborates on the modeling properties of a Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact with Rear Emitter (TOPCoRE) solar cells on p-type silicon focusing on the influence of boron-doped hole-selective layers localized under the front side metal contact. Using the numerical simulation tool Quokka3, the boron peak doping concentration (N peak ) and the diffusion profile depth were systematically varied within ranges of 10 19 –10 20 cm −3 and 0.1–0.8 µm, respectively, to quantify their impact on device performance. The simulations identified an optimal N peak of 1·10 20 cm −3 and a profile depth of 0.3 µm, yielding an open-circuit voltage ( V oc ) of 735.8 mV, a short-circuit current density ( J sc ) of 42.19 mA/cm 2 , a fill factor ( FF ) of 83.97%, and a resulting power-conversion efficiency ( η ) of 26.07%. Additional analysis across a wide range of surface recombination velocities (SRV) reveals how doping-induced selectivity and recombination trade-offs govern the achievable performance. A data mining approach further confirms the dominant correlation between doping parameters, SRV, and key performance indicators. These results establish quantitative design rules for optimizing localized hole-selective layers in front-contacted TOPCoRE architectures.